As children, we depend on our parents to be our caretakers, the ones who guide and protect us and help us survive the journey known as childhood. That is what is expected of parents and children. What we do not expect as children is watching one parent become the caretaker for the other or for roles to be reversed as our parents age.
I can personally relate to these feelings as I observed my mother have to become a full-time caregiver for my father after his valiant battle with Leukemia.
Whether it was the chemotherapy and cancer or a result of aging, my father began suffering from short-term memory loss leaving him often questioning what day and time it was as well as forgetting to take important medication. I watched with emotion as my mother began adding tackling my father’s care to her daily schedule…answering the same questions repeatedly and ensuring his medications were given on time.
I knew that I couldn’t sit idly by as my mother struggled like so many caregivers to juggle the tasks of daily life, and so out of this, Talking Madi was born. Coming from the luxury design market, my team and I sought to design a beautiful, yet all-inclusive talking alarm clock with multiple functionalities to help those with memory loss, vision impairment, and hearing impairment. There were several of these types of items on the market, but none that did it all…until Madi.
Providing caregivers and those who are struggling with impairments with a tool to ease frustration and restore independence was my driving passion because helping people and taking care of those we love is the most important job in the world. With this end goal in mind, we created Talking Madi to have extensive and customizable features encased in a beautifully constructed design.
With Talking Madi in my parents’ lives, my dad no longer has to repeatedly ask what day or time it is, for he can easily see it from across the room. He never has to wonder if he took his medications because he gets audible reminders, and my mother is far less stressed trying to juggle his needs along with her activities. They are living happily ever after together, and I know I sleep better at night with the knowledge that they have their Talking Madi to assist them. From my home to yours, I sincerely hope that our product can help you and your family navigate this journey we call aging.